Participants: Pr. Dwight Nelson
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP022109
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00:27 How great is our God
00:32 Sing with me How great is our God 00:38 And all will see How great, 00:42 how great is our God 00:53 Name above all names 00:59 You are worthy of all praise 01:05 My heart will sing 01:07 How great is our God 01:17 Name above all names 01:23 You are worthy of all praise 01:29 And my heart will sing 01:32 How great is our God 01:40 Then sings my soul 01:44 My Savior God to Thee 01:52 How great Thou art 01:58 How great Thou art 02:04 Then sings my soul 02:09 My Savior God to Thee 02:16 How great Thou art 02:22 How great Thou art 02:30 Amen. 02:37 That name above all names. As morning dawns. 02:42 As morning dawns and evening fades 02:49 You inspire songs of praise 02:56 That rise from earth to touch Your heart 03:03 And glorify Your Name 03:09 Your Name, is a strong and mighty tower 03:16 Your Name, is a shelter like no other 03:23 Your Name, 03:27 let the nations sing it louder 03:30 'Cause nothing has the power to save 03:36 But Your Name 03:43 Isn't that beautiful? 03:45 We have a shelter and a place to hide. 03:47 Let's sing this next verse. Jesus. 03:50 Jesus in Your Name we pray 03:57 Come and fill our hearts today 04:03 Lord, give us strength to live for You 04:10 And glorify Your Name 04:16 Your Name, 04:19 is a strong and mighty tower 04:22 Your Name, 04:26 is a shelter like no other 04:29 Your Name, 04:33 let the nations sing it louder 04:35 'Cause nothing has the power to save 04:42 Your Name, 04:46 is a strong and mighty tower 04:48 Your Name, 04:52 is a shelter like no other 04:55 Your Name, 04:59 let the nations sing it louder 05:02 'Cause nothing has the power to save 05:08 But Your Name 10:16 Let's pray. 10:18 And so Father with that festive fanfare as a sendoff. 10:26 We are launched on a journey now 10:34 into a thing that could hardly be more sobering 10:39 and somber than hell. 10:45 Oh, God, 10:48 we have to get this straight. 10:55 So may the mighty spirit of the Almighty 10:59 teach us through Holy Scripture. 11:04 We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 11:11 Suver Pet who is the receptionist 11:14 and facilities coordinator here at Pioneer. 11:19 Put me in touch with a purportedly 11:23 actual recording 11:29 of people in hell. 11:34 I went to the website, 11:37 read the report of a group of geologists in Siberia 11:40 who drill 14.4 kilometers 11:44 into the crust of the earth. 11:48 And to their shock, 11:51 suddenly heard emanating 11:53 from the fiery core of this planet, 11:56 human screams. 12:01 The recording was made of those screams. 12:06 Someone sent radio host, 12:07 Art Bell a copy of that recording 12:10 and he played it on his radio show nationally. 12:16 It ended up on YouTube. 12:19 I want you to listen to it right now. 12:22 I warn you what you are about to hear 12:24 is very disturbing indeed. 12:49 I think we have the gist of that, 12:51 that goes on for 40 seconds. 12:55 Snopes.com, the urban legend online buster 13:02 researched the story 13:03 and understandably has declared it to be false. 13:08 But no matter your personal convictions about hell, 13:13 you must admit. Those are dreadful sounds. 13:21 Is there a place called hell? 13:26 And is it or will it be filled with sounds 13:32 such as we just heard. 13:37 In 1741, Jonathan Edwards 13:42 pastoring in North Hampton, Massachusetts, 13:46 during the great awakening, 13:48 preached his most famous sermon entitled, 13:51 "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." 13:58 Through--a very graphic depiction of hell, 14:01 he's pleading with his listeners to flee from sin to the Savior. 14:06 He's an exert from that sermon 14:08 I'll put it on the screen for you. 14:10 "The God that holds you over the pit of hell, 14:13 much as one holds a spider, 14:16 or some loathsome insect over the fire, 14:19 abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked. 14:23 His wrath towards you burns like fire, 14:26 he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, 14:29 but to be cast into the fire, 14:31 he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight, 14:35 you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, 14:38 than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. 14:42 How dreadful is the state of those that are daily 14:45 and hourly in the danger of this great wrath 14:49 and infinite misery!" 14:54 It's no wonder that in the 19th century 14:57 somebody published a children's book 15:02 capturing this popular concept of hell 15:04 for those tiny wide-eyed readers. 15:07 These words appeared in that book, 15:09 "Little child, if you go to hell, 15:13 there will be a devil at your side to strike you. 15:16 He will go on striking you every minute forever and ever, 15:19 without ever stopping. 15:21 How then will your body be after the devil 15:23 has been striking it every moment 15:25 for a hundred million years without stopping?" 15:31 It is no secret that the book 15:33 I hold here in my hands teaches... 15:39 about hell nor is it a secret. 15:43 That Christian preachers and theologians 15:45 over the centuries have interpreted 15:47 the Bible's teaching of hell 15:49 to mean that God will burn sinners forever and ever 15:54 in the fires of hell. 15:56 Nor is it surprising, nor should it be a secret... 16:01 to discover 16:02 that the teaching of everlasting hell has arguably 16:06 turn more thinking men and women 16:11 away from Christianity than any other single teaching. 16:16 Robert Ingersoll, 16:18 the celebrated agnostic of the 19th century 16:20 grew up here, his preacher dad. 16:22 His father was a pastor, he grew up hearing him teach 16:25 about how God would burn 16:26 little tiny babies forever in hell 16:29 that youthful mind absolutely revolted 16:32 against the injustice of the thought. 16:35 Little Bobby cried out, I hate him 16:37 and spent the rest of his life 16:39 disproving the God of Christianity. 16:42 Bertrand Russell famed atheist 16:44 of the 20th century in his book, 16:46 The Moral Problem wrote, "I do not myself feel that 16:50 any person profoundly humane 16:53 can believe in everlasting punishment." 16:55 And then in the 21st century 16:57 I have their books, Richard Dawkins, 17:00 Sam Harris, the celebrated atheist of today. 17:03 Both of them in their books confront the caricature of God 17:06 burning sinners forever in the fires of hell. 17:09 And both reject the notion of such a God. 17:11 In fact reject any God at all. 17:13 Who would want your monster god 17:16 to be his or her god anyway? 17:20 So what do we do? 17:22 We're just teaching that has turned 17:23 so many away from God, is it true? 17:26 Does the Bible teach that God burns babies 17:29 and sinners in an everlasting hell of fire 17:31 forever and ever? Amen. 17:35 Or is there another way 17:38 to understand the truth about hell? 17:43 Open you Bible with me please to the words of Jesus 17:46 in the Gospel of Saint Luke, Luke Chapter 12. 17:53 These are red letter words. 17:55 By the way if you didn't bring a Bible, 17:56 you need to see this for yourself. 17:59 Luke Chapter 12, grab the pew Bible in front of you, 18:01 it will be page 701 in the pew Bible. 18:04 Same translation that I'll be reading out in this morning, 18:06 the New King James version. 18:09 Luke 12:4, read it along with me. 18:16 Whatever translation you have, you have a red letter Bible, 18:19 these words better be in red 18:20 or you take that back. All right. 18:24 Luke 12:4, "And I say to you, My friends." Filos. 18:31 This speaks of like, you know, in Philadelphia city 18:33 a brother they love, the Greek word is Filos, 18:35 it means one, those I feel especially close to. 18:38 This is not a public teaching now. 18:42 "And I say to you, My friends, 18:44 do not be afraid of those who kill the body, 18:47 and after that have no more that they can do." 18:49 Verse 5, "But I will show you whom you should fear. 18:54 Fear Him who, after He has killed, 18:58 has power to cast into hell, 19:00 yes, I say to you, fear Him!" Wow. 19:06 Edward Fudge in his book, 19:08 "The Fire that Consumes," observes that, 19:10 and I put the words on the screen. 19:12 "Perhaps the greatest reason for talking about hell 19:16 is also the simplest and most obvious. 19:18 Jesus our Savior spoke of it-- 19:20 more than once and in the most serious tones. 19:23 Whenever He speaks, we will do well to listen." 19:27 It wouldn't be wonderful if we could come across 19:29 a line in the Gospels 19:30 where Jesus is speaking red letters and He says, 19:32 "You have heard of all that it was said, there is a hell. 19:36 But I say to you, there is no hell." Hallelujah. 19:42 You will not find those words in any of the Gospels. 19:46 Somber indeed, instead is His warning. 19:50 Look at verse 5, "But I will show you whom you should fear. 19:55 Fear Him who after He has killed, 19:58 has power to cast into hell, yes, I say to you, fear Him!" 20:06 We opened this series with a single red lettered line 20:10 for two critical reasons. 20:13 These reasons are so vital, 20:15 I wish you would scribble them down right now. 20:17 Would you pull out the worship study guide that's in your, 20:20 in your bulletin today. 20:22 Pull out the study guide, all right, friendly ushers, 20:23 you know the drill. 20:25 Hold them out, there are people who got in here 20:27 but didn't get a worship bulletin, 20:28 you're gonna want this study guide. 20:30 You are gonna brood over what we have shared today. 20:32 Make sure you get it, please. 20:34 Hold your hand up all the way into the balcony. 20:36 And those of you who are watching on television, 20:38 we are delighted to have you. 20:39 I want you to have the same study guide, 20:40 so go to our website, 20:41 let me put it on the screen for you. 20:43 www.pm-- 20:45 with a pioneer memorial, www.pmchurch.tv. 20:49 Now you're looking for a brand new mini series, 20:51 we just finished the truth about death, three parts. 20:54 Now we're moving into the truth about hell, three parts. 20:56 You're looking for truth about hell. 20:58 Today's teaching is entitled MonsterGod.com. 21:02 All right, you're looking for today's teaching 21:04 and then you will see the word study guide. 21:06 You click on there, you will have the same study guide. 21:08 By the way, don't you dare miss next week, 21:10 the Smoke of their Torment. 21:14 And the final piece, 21:16 My Journey to Purgatory and Back. 21:19 We share that, little threesome for this mini series. 21:21 Two critical reasons, 21:22 there it is in the study guide right at the top there. 21:24 Fill it in please. 21:25 "Two critical reasons we must confront the teaching of hell." 21:29 Write it down, one, number one, 21:31 "Whatever hell is, it is fearsome." 21:35 They are the words of Jesus, it's corroboration. 21:38 Number one, "Whatever hell is, it is fearsome." 21:40 And number two, "Whatever hell is, it is final." 21:45 Fearsome and final. 21:48 I share these two reasons simply because, 21:50 some of you who happened to share 21:52 my understanding of hell 21:54 have been lowed into lackadaisical, 21:57 whole hump, big deal attitude about hell. 22:00 I mean, come on, who cares. 22:03 But these words of Jesus grab such careless thinking 22:05 by the scruff of the neck and cry out, 22:07 you better think again my friend about hell. 22:11 Because whatever it is, it is fearsome and it is final. 22:16 It will not be anesthetized picnic 22:18 where you simply hit a switch and quietly check out. 22:22 just like suicide, I'm out of here. Nope. 22:25 Jesus cries out, no, no, no, no, you had better fear the God 22:29 who can not only extinguish your life in this life 22:32 but can extinguish your life forever and ever, amen. 22:37 Whatever hell is, it will be fearsome 22:43 and it will be final. 22:45 And if hell should happen to you and me, 22:48 we will with all our hearts be wishing 22:52 that it was not about to happen to us. 22:57 Because then there will be 23:01 no turning back. Not then. 23:05 Jesus is clear, it will be final and forever. 23:07 It will be fearful and fearsome. 23:10 Nobody will--oh, I just wish, I just wish I could go to hell. 23:14 Nobody will long for it, nobody. 23:18 I've never in my--I'll tell you bit of reality check here. 23:23 I have never in my life 23:24 preached three sermons 23:26 in a row on hell, please. 23:30 I mean, I always figured one little sermon 23:32 dealing with the manner of hell 23:33 will surely take care of the biblical teaching. 23:37 But as I have been reading deeply into this subject, 23:41 the spirit of God has impressed me 23:45 that there is a sobering and solemn death 23:49 to the subject that has elicited 23:51 what we just read the red letters of Jesus. 23:54 Something is there that we may have 23:57 hurried past in the past. 24:01 I'll read it again with you. 24:03 Verse 4 of Luke 12, "And I say to you, 24:06 My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, 24:09 and after that have no more that they can do. 24:12 But--" verse 5, "I will show you whom you should fear. 24:16 Fear Him who, after He has killed you, 24:18 has power to cast into hell, yes, I say to you." 24:21 In case you didn't hear me the first time, 24:23 "Fear Him!" Jot it down, will you? 24:26 "Do not fear those who can 24:27 extinguish you life in this life. 24:31 But fear Him who can extinguish your life 24:33 for the life to come." 24:37 Gentle Jesus meek and mild, 24:39 not here, ladies and gentlemen, 24:41 not here, not one hell is on His mind 24:44 as it turns out is often the case in the Gospels. 24:49 According to Jesus, 24:53 please note these descriptors 24:57 that he declares are of hell itself. 25:01 Okay, you got your study guide right there, 25:02 you're gonna have to keep your pen moving. 25:03 We will do it off the screen, have a look. 25:04 Let's put the first verse up 25:05 that will be in Matthew Chapter 8. 25:07 These are all red letters, Jesus speaking. 25:09 Matthew 8:11, "And I say to you 25:12 that many will come from east and west, 25:14 and they will sit down with Abraham, 25:15 Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 25:17 But the sons of the kingdom 25:18 will be cast out into outer darkness. 25:22 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 25:25 And there--there are some repeat references 25:27 and you have them there in your study guide. 25:29 But would you jot those three words down. 25:30 We're hunting for the descriptors of hell 25:33 that Christ teaches, so jot down those three. 25:35 Darkness, then you're gonna jot down, 25:38 weeping and gnashing, all right. 25:43 Now he has more to say about hell, that isn't it. 25:45 Let's put another one up, 25:47 let's go to Matthew 13:41, Jesus, red letters again. 25:50 "The Son of Man will send out His angels, 25:53 and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, 25:56 and those who practice lawlessness, 25:58 and will cast them into the furnace of fire." 26:03 Last time it was darkness, this time it's fire. 26:06 "And there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 26:09 Now the kings-- New King James there 26:10 actually translates the identical Greek word 26:12 as wailing for what reason we do not know. 26:15 That's the thing about modern translations, 26:16 they just on a wimp. 26:17 It should be the same word of weeping. 26:19 So you have to say 26:20 two descriptors weeping and gnashing. 26:22 But this one adds fire. So what do we have now? 26:24 We have darkness and we have weeping 26:26 and gnashing and we have fire. 26:28 But it's not true, He will talk about hell again. 26:30 Let's go to Matthew Chapter 24. Red letters as well. 26:33 "The master of that servant will come on a day 26:36 when he is not looking for him 26:37 and at an hour that he is not aware of, 26:40 and will cut him in two." 26:43 Now it doesn't say the instrument for that cutting 26:45 but with your permission I would like to suggest 26:48 it's probably a sword. 26:51 So we put in brackets, with a sword, 26:53 "He will cut him into with a sword 26:55 and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites." 26:57 And here comes again, 26:58 "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 27:02 Would you write that down, please? 27:04 Sword, weeping, gnashing, what else do we have? 27:07 We have darkness, weeping and gnashing, 27:08 we have fire, weeping and gnashing. 27:09 There they are according to Jesus 27:12 the final destruction of hell 27:13 will come by fire, darkness and sword 27:16 and those who experience 27:17 it will erupt in weeping and gnashing of teeth. 27:21 So which one of these metaphors is right? 27:23 Will hell be fire? Will hell be darkness? 27:25 Or hell be the sword? 27:29 Or could it be that intentionally, 27:32 intentionally mixing his metaphors for hell, 27:34 darkness, fire and sword, Jesus is making a point. 27:40 What if they could be shown 27:42 that Jesus Himself personally experienced 27:45 all five of these descriptors of hell. 27:50 Come with me to that awful Friday we now call good. 27:57 Go back to the Gospel of Matthew, 27:58 Matthew will take Matthew's crucifixion account. 28:00 Matthew Chapter 27, just go back a few pages. 28:04 We were in Luke, but now we go to Matthew. 28:06 Matthew Chapter 27, speed up in verse 33. 28:11 What page number is that? 28:12 That's page 671 got a pew Bible, follow along. 28:17 Let's go to the cross. 28:18 Matthew 27:33, "And when they had come 28:23 to a place called Golgotha, 28:25 that is to say, Place of a Skull." 28:27 Verse 34, "They gave Him, 28:29 Jesus, sour wine mingled with gall to drink. 28:32 But when He had tasted it, He would not drink. 28:36 Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, 28:38 casting lots, that it might be fulfilled 28:40 which was spoken by the prophet. 28:42 'They divided My garments among them, 28:43 and for My clothing they cast lots.'" 28:45 Verse 36, "And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there." 28:51 I like that, they kept watch over Him there. 28:53 Let you and I do the same for a few moments. 28:55 Now in the next verses that follow time will pass. 29:00 Only what's not in those next verses is Luke's account 29:03 of what happens during those next verses. 29:05 And that would be the thief turning to Jesus 29:07 and there's that conversation with the thief. 29:08 Nor is John's account of the crucifixion there 29:12 because John would describe Jesus in his agony 29:15 looking down upon his beloved mother. 29:16 And as a legacy giving her to young John boy. 29:21 So all of that transpires, now we're gonna pick it up 29:24 a bit later that Friday, verse 45, 29:26 "Now from the sixth hour." 29:29 Some of you will have very new translations, 29:31 it reads from noon. That's correct. 29:35 "Now from the sixth hour," that would be noon, 29:37 "Until the ninth hour," that would be 3 in the afternoon. 29:39 "There was--" what, ladies and gentlemen? 29:42 What's the word in all our translations? 29:45 There was what? "There was darkness." 29:47 Have you heard the word darkness before? 29:49 Today? Yes, you have. 29:52 "There was darkness over all the land." 29:58 It turns out, darkness 29:59 is a symbol of judgment in the Old Testament. 30:02 Will you jot that down please in your study guide? Darkness. 30:04 We're going to Calvary, 30:05 we're looking for the five descriptors. 30:07 Lo and behold, we bump into the first one. 30:09 There is darkness. What is darkness? 30:10 It is a symbol of judgment. 30:12 There are numerous Old Testament evidences for this, 30:14 but let's just put one up. 30:16 I put Isaiah Chapter 13 on the screen. 30:19 "Behold, the day of the Lord comes." 30:22 Now Old Testament scholars are very clear 30:23 whenever you read in the Old Testament, 30:25 the day of the Lord. 30:26 That's speaking about end time judgment, 30:27 that's hell, that's the end-- 30:28 and everything wrapped up together. 30:30 That's the big, that's the big one. 30:33 "Behold the day of the Lord comes, cruel, 30:36 with both wrath and fierce anger." 30:40 What happens in this day? 30:41 "To lay the land desolate, and He will destroy 30:44 its sinners from it." Keep reading. 30:47 "For the stars of heaven and their constellations 30:50 will not give their light." 30:52 Oh, oh, something is getting dark here. 30:54 Next, "The sun will be darkened in its going forth, 30:57 and the moon will not cause its light to shine. 31:00 I will punish the world for its evil, 31:02 and the wicked for their iniquity." 31:04 God speaking, "I will halt the arrogance of the proud, 31:06 and I will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible." 31:09 Case established, darkness is a sign of judgment. 31:15 Darkness is an aspect of hell, the final judgment. 31:21 All right. Let's go back. 31:23 Let's go back to Matthew 27, read verse 45 again. 31:27 "Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour 31:30 there was darkness over all the land. 31:33 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a--" 31:35 in the Greek, megelaphone. 31:37 This is a megaphone, this is-- this isn't a whimper. 31:39 This is a scream. 31:41 "Jesus cried out saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' 31:45 that is, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'" 31:54 Jot it down, will you? 31:56 There is weeping. 31:58 There is weeping at Calvary. 32:02 You say how do you know, Dwight? 32:04 Just watch this. 32:05 Many scholars believe that Jesus was repeating 32:07 the entire Psalm by memory while He hung on the cross. 32:11 Let's go to that messianic Psalm, Psalm 22:1, 32:15 "My God," that's where He got these words. 32:17 "My God, why have You forsaken Me? 32:19 Why are You so far from helping Me, 32:21 and from the words of My groaning? 32:23 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear, 32:28 and in the night season, and am not silent." 32:31 There was weeping at the cross, I cried. 32:38 What else is at the cross? Go to the screen again. 32:40 Let's insert another Psalm, 32:44 that reflects the cry of Calvary. 32:48 Psalm 35, Psalm 35:16, 32:50 "With ungodly mockers at feasts 32:53 they gnashed at me with their teeth. 32:57 Lord, how long will You look on?" 32:59 The very cry of Calvary. "How long will You look on? 33:02 Rescue Me from their destructions, 33:04 My precious life from the lions." 33:06 Would you jot it down, please? 33:07 Calvary, gnashing. 33:10 See the word, gnashing 33:11 describes not only the experience of the victim, 33:14 it describes the experience of those who can't describe this 33:17 the experience of those who surround the victim, 33:21 there's gnashing. 33:26 Let's go back to that messianic Psalm. 33:27 Psalm 20:20, Psalm 22, rather verse 20, 33:31 "Deliver Me from the sword, 33:34 My precious life from the power of the dog." 33:39 Dog is the symbol for the enemy. 33:41 "Deliver Me," the cry of Calvary, 33:42 "Deliver Me from the sword." 33:43 Would you jot it down, please? 33:45 There is a sword at Calvary. 33:46 And we didn't even look up John 19:34, 33:48 where they took the sword that spear 33:50 just rammed into His side. It was there. 33:55 There they are, ladies and gentlemen, 33:56 four Jesus own descriptors of hell 33:58 that He Himself experienced 34:00 on that terrible Friday on the cross. 34:02 You say, hey, wait a minute, 34:03 Dwight I thought there were five. 34:04 Where is this, hey, wait a minute where's number five? 34:06 There's no fire on Calvary. 34:08 I've read all four Gospels accounts, 34:09 there's no fire at all. 34:11 My friend, you're absolutely right. 34:12 You can't find a spark. 34:19 But in the cryptic cry from that center cross, 34:24 we find it echoed in advance 34:27 a sobbing question that inserts the fire. 34:31 Watch this. Psalm 89. 34:35 "How long, Lord?" My God, why have You cut me off? 34:39 "How long, Lord? Will You hide Yourself forever? 34:43 Will Your wrath burn like--" 34:45 what? Fire. 34:47 Write it down, would you please? 34:50 My God, My God, why have You cut me off? 34:53 Your wrath to Me is like fire. 34:54 Calvary, fire, a symbol of divine wrath. 35:01 Fire, darkness, 35:04 sword, weeping, gnashing. 35:10 You know what that means? Jot it down. 35:13 "All five descriptors of hell that Jesus described, 35:17 He Himself personally experienced upon the cross." 35:24 Personally, all five He experienced them. 35:31 And what is this wrath of God's business? 35:35 Oh, this is fascinating. 35:36 You got to, you keep your pen right there. 35:38 You have got to see this. 35:40 Romans Chapter 1, let's go to Book of Romans. 35:41 It actually powerfully defines what the wrath of God means. 35:44 This is Romans 1:18, "For the wrath of God." 35:47 Okay, so we want to know what is this wrath of God? 35:49 What happens to human being 35:51 when the wrath of God takes place? 35:52 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven 35:55 against all ungodliness 35:57 and unrighteousness of men and women, 35:59 who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." All right. 36:02 What does it mean when God reveals His wrath? 36:04 Notice verse 24, 36:06 "Therefore God also gave them up," speaking of sinners. 36:10 "God also gave them up to uncleanness, 36:12 in the lusts of their hearts, 36:14 to dishonor their bodies among themselves." 36:18 Let's just keep a little tally here of how many times 36:20 a particular word in the Greek appears in Romans. 36:23 Would you jot it down in your study guide? 36:24 Romans 1:18, 24, and by the way 24, 26 and 28 36:30 all used this Greek word, paradidomi 36:32 and it's translated, God gives sinners up. 36:36 Write that down. 36:37 God, what does that mean to have the wrath of God? 36:39 God gives sinners up. That isn't hard to understand. 36:45 He chooses not to force sinners 36:47 to love them and He gives them up 36:49 to the consequences of their own choices. 36:51 You can't be a mother, you can't be a father 36:54 and not know the meaning of that human reality. 36:57 I mean, you can say to your kids, look it, look it. 37:00 Son, don't you ever drink this. 37:02 You can say to your daughter, don't you ever do this. 37:07 You can say don't you ever smoke this. 37:11 But every parent knows there will come a time 37:13 when you can no longer make, isn't this true? 37:16 You can no longer make the choices for your children. 37:20 They are of age and they will have to choose 37:23 and they will have to, 37:25 how does that old law of the universe go? 37:27 Whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap. 37:33 You can't stop the law. 37:35 You can beg them, you can plead with them 37:37 but they have the freedom, do they not? 37:39 To say, "I'm not too bad, dad. I'm gonna do this anyway." 37:43 And all a parent can do is with a broken heart stand by 37:48 and pray hard. I know. 37:54 But what startling in Romans is not only that 37:57 that it defines the wrath of God is God just let-- 38:00 God letting us reap the consequences of what we insist. 38:03 We got to be able to do. 38:04 What startling in Romans is that God 38:07 does the very same thing to Jesus on the cross. 38:10 Watch this. Romans 4:25. 38:13 "Jesus was--" he's speaking of Calvary right here. 38:16 "Jesus was delivered up," 38:17 there's that same Greek word, paradidomi. 38:19 "Jesus was delivered up because of our sins, our offenses, 38:24 and He was raised because of our justification." 38:27 Would you jot that down, please? 38:29 Paradidomi in Romans 4:25, God gave Jesus up. 38:35 I mean does that, does that blow your mind or what? 38:40 I mean, please what God does to sinners 38:43 He did for Jesus on the cross. 38:45 And by the way in case you didn't get it, 38:47 the author of Romans, Paul says, 38:49 let me give you one more proof of that. 38:50 Romans Chapter 8, let's put that one on. 38:52 Romans 8:32, 38:55 "He who did not spare His own Son, 38:58 but delivered Him up." 39:00 There it is again that Greek word, paradidomi. 39:02 "But delivered Him up for us, how shall He not with Him, 39:06 Christ, also freely give us all things?" 39:12 Romans 1, God gives, 39:14 gives up sinners to their own choices. 39:16 Romans 2, God gives up Jesus to the consequences of sin. 39:19 Romans 4, rather Romans 8, 39:22 God gave up, jot it down, God gave up His Son. 39:27 What God does to sinners He did to Jesus on the cross. 39:32 He let Him reap the dark and wretched consequences of sin. 39:37 i.e., the wrath of God, this divine let Him go. 39:41 God lets Christ experience the full force of that. 39:45 Now that you're own, now that you are on your own 39:48 severance between the two of them. 39:56 Are you getting this? 39:58 You understand that when the wrath of God 40:01 is displayed to sinners it means I'll let you go, 40:06 I'll let you reap the consequences of your choice. 40:11 Do you understand that when the wrath, 40:13 that same wrath of God is displayed to Jesus, 40:16 it's the same, I'll let you go, you have become sinner. 40:20 I'll let you go and you reap the consequences. 40:24 Markus Barth, the New Testament scholar 40:26 graphically describes the severance 40:29 that took place at Calvary. 40:31 You see the words there in your study guide. 40:32 "Here at the cross God stands against God, 40:37 the Father against the Son, 40:39 the benevolent, promising God addressed in prayers, 40:42 against what God makes and allows 40:44 in the world of facts and events. 40:46 The earth trembles. The sun fades away. 40:49 This is the horror of the judgment, God is silent. 40:52 An eclipse of the living God, a victory of death over life, 40:55 the end of all religions, all law and justice, 40:58 all morality-- it is this that comes in 41:00 at 3:00 p.m. on Good Friday. 41:03 A hell, deeper and hotter 41:05 than anything one might imagine has opened its maw, 41:09 its jaws, devoured God's Son, and become all-victorious." 41:16 In a way we shall never fully understand 41:22 Christ drank the bitter heart crushing drags, 41:29 the cup of human sin. 41:31 Drank it to the last drop. 41:37 He entered into the very hill that he warned us, 41:41 he waved us away from. 41:43 You don't want to go here. 41:45 He enters that very hill. 41:49 He saved us, unless Jesus did save me, 41:50 how can He reap the consequences of his pure and moral life? 41:55 Ah, my friend, that is precisely the good news of the gospel. 41:58 Let's put it up on the screen, everybody knows Isaiah 53. 42:05 "Surely He has borne our griefs 42:08 and carried our sorrows," described in Calvary. 42:11 "Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 42:14 But He was wounded for our transgressions, 42:17 He was bruised for our iniquities. 42:19 The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, 42:21 and by His stripes we are healed." 42:23 Now notice, "All we like sheep have gone astray, 42:26 we have turned, every one, to his own way. 42:27 And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity," 42:32 write it down, please. 42:33 "The iniquity of the entire human race." 42:39 I give you up now. 42:41 You take the consequences and bearing it all. 42:45 Every sin in my life, 42:48 every sin in your life, He bears it. 42:52 The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all, 42:53 is that only an Old Testament teaching, 42:55 note, keep your pen moving. 42:56 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For He," the father, "made Him," Christ, 43:01 "who knew no sin to be sin for us, 43:05 that we might become 43:06 the righteousness of God in Him." 43:09 Would you jot that down? He made Him to be sin for us. 43:15 Ladies and gentlemen, the mysterious truth of Calvary 43:18 is that Jesus became our sin in order to bear our penalty. 43:24 And as a consequence He died the death that was ours. 43:27 Not this momentary death that comes from human vicissitude, 43:30 you know, I'm just weak, 43:31 I got that, I have the disease, 43:33 I was hit by a car, not that death. 43:36 But the eternal death of human rebellion and sin. 43:40 In fact say it out loudly you know this one. 43:41 Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, 43:46 but the gift of God is eternal life 43:50 through Jesus Christ our Lord." 43:52 The gift is eternal life, and what is the wage? 43:55 The very antithesis of eternal life, 43:57 can't be just a momentary death, 43:59 it has to be an eternal death. 44:00 The very opposite, the wages and the gift are contrasted. 44:05 Revelation calls this eternal death, 44:08 the second death, you know why? 44:11 Because it's the one death 44:13 from which you cannot ever be awakened again. 44:19 Second death. 44:21 It's the death that hell consummates. 44:26 Jesus taught hell, 44:27 He said there will be five descriptors of hell. 44:30 The darkness and sword of the judgment, 44:32 the weeping and gnashing of anguish 44:34 and the fire of divine wrath 44:36 and on Calvary, all five descriptors. 44:43 Christ Himself can do it. 44:46 There is no clear portrayal 44:48 in all of Holy Scripture of hell than the cross. 44:55 Whereon Jesus did not cry out, 44:57 "My God, My God, Why are You killing Me?" 45:00 He didn't cry out, "My God, why are You burning Me?" 45:04 Cry on Calvary is unmistakable. 45:06 "My God, My God, why have You cut me off? 45:10 Why have You forsaken me?" 45:16 Dreadfully somber and sobering truth of hell 45:20 is that it is the final and fearsome severance 45:25 from the one being in the universe 45:27 who is the life support of all creation. 45:33 Our last text, Christ descended into hell 45:35 into that awful darkness for us, 45:37 look at this, our final text. 45:38 Hebrew 2:9, "But we see Jesus, 45:42 who was made a little lower than the angels, 45:44 for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, 45:48 that He, by the grace of God," 45:52 jot this down. 45:53 "That He, by the grace of God, 45:55 might taste death for everyone." 46:01 All of us will taste our own first death 46:04 whether it's premature or comes with old age, we will all die. 46:08 We will taste that death ourselves. 46:11 But there is a second death 46:12 that only one being in the universe 46:14 thus far has tasted and He did so, 46:17 so that none of us would ever, ever, ever 46:20 have to taste that death for ourselves. 46:27 Listen to Desire of Ages, 46:29 moving depiction of the second death 46:33 that Christ experienced it at Calvary, 46:35 that we have a new study guide, I put it on the screen. 46:38 Friday afternoon, 46:40 "But now with the terrible weight of guilt He bears, 46:44 He cannot see the Father's reconciling face. 46:47 The withdrawal of the divine countenance 46:49 from the Savior in this hour of supreme anguish 46:54 pierced His heart with a sorrow 46:56 that can never be fully understood by man. 47:01 the Savior could not see through the portals of the tomb. 47:04 Hope did not present to Him 47:05 His coming forth from the grave a conqueror, 47:07 or tell Him of the Father's acceptance of the sacrifice. 47:10 He feared sin was so offensive to God 47:13 that Their separation was to be eternal." 47:15 Second death, we will never be together again. 47:19 "Christ felt--" read on, "Christ felt the anguish--" 47:23 this would be hell, wouldn't it? 47:24 "Christ felt the anguish which the sinner will feel 47:27 when mercy shall no longer plead for the guilty race. 47:32 It was the sense of sin, bringing the Father's wrath," 47:35 there it is again. 47:36 "It was the sense of sin, 47:38 bringing the Father's wrath upon Him 47:39 as man's substitute that made the cup He drank so bitter, 47:45 and broke the heart of the Son of God." 47:52 And you're saying, Dwight, there's no way. 47:54 There's no way He died the second death, 47:57 He came up on Sunday. 48:01 I've told a story over and over again. 48:08 I may repeat it once more. 48:12 Story about a little boy who was deathly ill. 48:16 Doctors tried everything, they can't, 48:18 they can't reverse impending death that looks like. 48:24 There's a rare genetic disorder, 48:26 they need somebody who is the perfect genetic match. 48:30 So they try, obviously, they test the mother first 48:32 and then they test the father. 48:34 Nobody in their family test that matched 48:38 expect the boy's younger sister. 48:42 Of course the doctors are delighted 48:44 and they gather with the family around a little girl 48:46 and they explain to her that she has, 48:51 she has the perfect match that can save her brother's life. 48:56 Would you be willing, honey 48:58 to give your blood for your brother? 49:03 The little girl turns her pensive face away, 49:06 she's deep in thought, finally decision is made. 49:09 She looks back into the downturn face, 49:12 she bounces those curls and she says, she would. 49:18 So they hurry her into the laboratory, 49:19 you've given blood, you know what it is like. 49:21 And that little plastic bag begins to fill with the life 49:26 giving portion to save her older brother's life. 49:31 When it was all over, 49:35 she was leaving the laboratory 49:36 she looked up into her father's face. 49:39 And she said, "Daddy, when will I die now?" 49:45 He kind of chuckled 49:48 when all of a sudden it hit him like a bolt of lightening. 49:52 His little girl had just gone 49:56 through the procedure of giving her blood 49:59 believing that in the gift of that blood. 50:05 She would die. 50:08 Now academicians, I want to ask you a question. 50:12 Did that little girl die for her brother? 50:18 Yes or no? Huh? 50:21 Oh, you bet she did. She died for him, right here. 50:25 Died that death, I'll give my life for him. 50:29 Did Jesus die the second death? 50:35 Oh, yes, He did. Right here. 50:38 And it broke His heart. 50:42 He died the second death of hell 50:48 for you and me. 50:51 May I be cantor with you, I cannot comprehend it. 50:56 I cannot grasp how anyone would love me so much 51:01 that he would be willing to go to hell for me. 51:08 That he would be willing 51:10 on that cross to be separated 51:12 from the Father forever and ever 51:15 so that I could live with the same Father 51:17 forever and ever. 51:19 I read about it. I sing about it. 51:24 But I'm being honest with you, 51:26 I for the life of me cannot comprehend that kind of love. 51:33 Nobody has ever loved me 51:38 that much before. 51:43 There's only one thing I know what, 51:44 I know how to do, only one. 51:49 That is I bow with my face to the ground 51:57 and I worship Him who died for me. 52:04 "O Sacred Head, now wounded 52:08 with grief and shame weighed down. 52:12 Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown. 52:16 O sacred Head, what glory, what bliss till now was Thine! 52:20 Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call Thee mine. 52:26 What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest Friend. 52:29 For this Thy dying sorrow, 52:32 Thy pity without end? 52:34 O make me Thine forever, 52:36 and should I fainting be. 52:40 Lord, let me never, never 52:44 outlive my love to Thee." 53:28 O Sacred Head, now wounded 53:35 With grief and shame weighed down 53:41 Now scornfully surrounded 53:47 With thorns, Thine only crown 53:53 O sacred Head, what glory, 54:00 what bliss till now was Thine 54:07 Yet, though despised and gory 54:14 I joy to call Thee mine. 54:24 What Thou, my Lord hast suffered 54:30 Was all for sinners' gain 54:36 Mine, mine was the transgression 54:43 But Thine the deadly pain 54:50 Lo, here I fall, my Savior 54:57 'Tis I deserve thy place 55:04 Look on me with thy favor 55:11 Vouchafe to me Thy grace. 55:21 What language shall I borrow? 55:27 To thank Thee, dearest Friend 55:34 For this Thy dying sorrow 55:41 Thy pity without end? 55:48 O make me Thine forever 55:54 And should I fainting be 56:02 Lord, let me never, never 56:09 outlive my love to Thee. 56:22 And now the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 56:26 and the love of God 56:28 and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. 56:37 It's been a pleasure to be able to worship with you today. 56:39 I hope that the spirit of Jesus has blessed your time with us 56:42 right here in the Pioneer Memorial Church 56:44 in the campus of Andrews University. 56:46 Do you know that around the world 56:47 people join us every week for this hour of worship. 56:49 We're always looking as a consequence 56:51 for new ways to bridge, 56:53 somehow to connect with these people 56:55 who come here to worship via the telecast. 56:58 One of the areas that is quickly growing for us is our website. 57:01 We had more than a 140,000 visitors last year. 57:05 It's an incredible opportunity 57:07 that God has given us to expand His kingdom. 57:10 If you like to help partner with us 57:12 as we seek to spread the everlasting gospel, 57:15 I'd love to have you call our toll free number. 57:17 We got very friendly operators standing by. 57:20 Here's our number, 877-His-Will. 57:23 877 and then the two words His will. 57:25 One of the operators will be happy 57:27 to give you the details of how you can partner 57:29 with this Global ministry. 57:31 If you prefer, listen you can do it all online, 57:33 go to our website, please. www.pmchurch.tv. 57:38 I'd be honored to have the privilege 57:39 of partnering with you as we seek to spread the truth 57:41 about God for this generation. 57:44 We are living in urgent times. 57:47 Now more than ever we've got to go to the world 57:50 with the good news entrusted to us. 57:52 So once again here's that toll free number, 877-His-Will. 57:56 Thank you in advance for your generosity. 57:59 That blesses me and you grow this ministry. 58:02 I pray that the spirit of Christ 58:03 will abide with you every step of the way. 58:06 And I hope you come back again next time right here 58:09 as we continue our worship journey together. |
Revised 2014-12-17